Resumo: The ancestral commune of Olón located on the coastal edge of the Province of Santa Elena has experienced an accelerated transformation over the last 30 years. The tourism industry has turned this former farming and fishing town into an internationally known destination. Since the 1990s, through the sale of land to external actors, the bases for the insertion of the tourism industry have been consolidated. Today, Olón has become the new residence for retired Americans and Canadians. From a critical perspective, the results of tourism expansion at the local level are analyzed and the socioeconomic effects caused by residential tourism are identified.
